If the British made a mistake in 1914 depending on how you look at it, Nigerians still had to fight a fierce war of independence. The climax of this war took place at the Bristol Hotel bar, Lagos, after that, the British capitulated and surrendered to the patriots but not before leaving behind a national population bogey, out of spite.

The Yoruba’s then initiated a political stalemate in the old wild west, which was later compounded by the Ibos in 1966. The fallout has been the inheritance of the Nigerian vineyard by the Hausa/ Fulani’s. [who said that the patient dog eats no bone?] Once or twice when the Yoruba’s howl loud enough, a little piece gets thrown their way. Time, if only Daddy Onyeama knew, he would have held back on the statement he made at the Island Club, Lagos, that the Ibos were specially ordained by God to lead the black race out of darkness. I have read Mohammed Adamu’s clever article "We the Hausa Fulani’s are the chosen heirs to Nigeria’s vineyard with tacit approval from God". Recently, Akinloye the carpet crosser, reiterated that the Yoruba’s have always been numero uno. These three groups between them have been juggling the fate of the Nigerian state for whatever it is worth.

Political power we have been told comes out of the barrel of a gun., therefore, whosoever controls the gun barrel, controls Nigeria. Ironsi’s miscalculation, and the attendant civil war, led to the marginalization of the Ibos and their eclipse in the Nigerian body polity. The recent democratic craze in Nigeria is only a means to an end. It is happening because, the second twin in the Nigeria military equation felt it was their due, but since they do not hold an overwhelming superiority in terms of fire power, a diarchy had to be foisted on us. This should be viewed as a tactical withdrawal and not a retreat by the first twin.

When the two most intelligent interjections on the Nigerian question are being made by Ibrahim Zakzaky and Joe Achuzie then there is trouble ahead. The inmates are now running the asylum. One does not need to have lived for ever to know that an enabling climate for a coup de etat is slowly evolving in Nigeria. We all know that Nigeria is the only country on earth that keeps applying the same solution to a recurring problem with the hope that the result, sooner or later, will turn out different. Something is bound to give. Somebody, somewhere, is going to miscalculate, and the resultant effects are better left imagined. It is not the successful coup that will create the problem, it is the unsuccessful one, whichever comes first. The present lopsided nature of the Nigerian political landscape hinges on population manipulation. This manipulation, determines the make up of the armed forces and the share of the national cake. The difference between Nigeria of today and thirty four years ago, is that, the manpower wastage that has visited the Nigerian armed forces has projected both the southern and northern minority elements into sensitive positions. Thus, the present clamor in the middle belt for autonomy and the south/south for self determination, makes the Nigerian equation an interesting situation. The current power brokers feel that with the non homogenous nature of these two societies a singular point of action would be difficult, but ‘the journey of a thousand miles begin with one step’. Coups in Nigeria succeed, when the command and staff structure gives a tacit nod of approval to the boys who must be in control of the tanks and communications, take away those two ingredients, even luck and surprise will not save you. Within the army, the officers controlling these two unit, have to be personally loyal to the head of state or he will be stupid to sleep in the same bed twice. Do not be fooled by the presidents current junket around the world and think all is well. If you were Baba Aremu, where would you rather be when there is a violent change in government? The man to watch is Nzeribe, he is the current weather cock of Nigerian coups.

There has to be a change, the civil war is long over. We have enjoyed the spoils of victory, now is the hangover. The question on the mind of most of us, is how wise are the victors. I speak for a lot of people when I say that the Hausa/Fulani people are very brilliant tacticians. Sharia is not the problem, it is just an answer to Baba Aremu’s attempt to tamper with the population bogey. The lesson of history teaches us that -The men who can manage men manage the men who can manage only things., and the men who can manage money manage all. Forget all this talk about the Ibos and Yoruba’s being in charge of the economy. In this age of global economy, the dollar is the language of commerce. Which group of people are in the currency exchange business all over Nigeria? and yet the uninformed dare to label them as illiterates. Their collective wisdom will determine the fate of the Nigerian state. Scary?

In as much as the armed wing of the diarchy remain loyal to the president, and not the state, the national conference is a no go, as that was not on the agenda when he was anointed the messiah. Enahoro’s equitocracy sounds good on paper, he should tell us where on a earth a group has voluntarily handed over power to another out of the magnanimity of their hearts. The national assembly cannot help us, it suffers from the same population jinx, don’t forget the majority always win.

How then does a minority or third class citizen of Nigeria survive the forthcoming fallout? Through a violent change in government? divine intervention? armed resistance or peaceful protest? What manner of people will sit quietly and have their resources tapped by another group only to be thrown crumbs, which they will then kill themselves over. What do I gain from being called a Nigerian? Why must I be a Nigerian? Yes, people died to keep Nigeria one but to whose benefit? I do not hate Nigeriens but $10 million dollars will do wonders at Odi.

I have searched through the Bible [Kings James version] and the Koran [Yusuf Ali’ s translation] and there is no word like Nigeria mentioned. Maybe, I am going crazy but nobody told me [please, don’t say it is the will of God] that I had to live with the Hausa Fulani, Ibos and Yoruba’s until eternity. Could someone, anyone, please stop this bus as I want to get off.

Orok Edem